z

Young Writers Society


A Test of Words, Week 1



User avatar
16 Reviews



Gender: Male
Points: 1396
Reviews: 16
Thu Aug 28, 2014 7:43 am
MarbleToast says...



Image

Week One


Right then. This thing is a weekly set of three questions, each of which will be set around a various theme for that week. Give me an idea on whether I should stop or not, maybe this is pointless, I don't know. But there's also a few rules and other stuff to cover.

  • 1- If you are on the podium of people who got all three questions right the quickest, you shall get a number of leaderboard points; 3 for 1st, 2 for 2nd, and 1 for 3rd. I'll be keeping track of who's where, so don't worry.
  • 2- If you do win, you will be announced as one of the winners in the next week's questions. I'm not going to say if you won as a reply, because then that's sorta giving the game away. Also, you don't want to let people know if they're right or wrong- you want to win!
  • 3- Keep grammar high, as well as detail. Bonus points may be awarded if you reach a high level on both.
  • 4- Using the internet doesn't matter, but if you know the answer before hand, it's going to be quicker than Googling it. Plus, some questions can't really be Googled.

The third question will always be open, so that's where you'll want to detail your answer.

If you've got an idea for a theme, go ahead and voice it, along with your answers.

P.S If you think this is in the wrong space, let me know. If you think this is pointless, also let me know. Just say, "James, this is pointless." Like that.


Right, I think that covers everything.

This week's theme- Science-Fiction

or Dystopian stuff, if you wanna be like that...

Last week's winners were: N/A

Question One- What is the title of the 1948 George Orwell novel which told of life in a totalitarian state dominated by 'Big Brother' and 'Newspeak'?


Question Two- What year was Fahrenheit 451 originally published?


Question Three (OPEN)- How do you think Science-fiction shall influence the world today and in the future?
Last edited by MarbleToast on Thu Aug 28, 2014 4:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Dreams sprout tall so beautiful
to wither and fall off
Old and dusty, creaky and rough
This clockwork will not rest
  





User avatar
508 Reviews



Gender: Male
Points: 12170
Reviews: 508
Thu Aug 28, 2014 4:10 pm
dragonfphoenix says...



1: 1984, traditionally considered the foundational Dystopian novel. It isn't, in fact, the first dystopia (a term Orwell disliked and suggested 'negative Utopia' as a more descriptive and befitting title); that arguably goes to We (1924), or, depending on the reader's perspective, the foundational novel of the Utopian genre, Sir Thomas More's Utopia (1516). The novel, originally just a fictional, speculative treatise by More, details what most modern readers would recognize as a Communistic society. As a quick side note, 1984 was not published until June 8, 1949.

2: The original copyright on Fahrenheit 451 is 1950, but the novel (which was originally shorter, under the title "The Fireman,") was published in Galaxy Science Fiction in 1951. The novel was finally published in its completed form in 1953.

It would appear your theme this week is not Science Fiction, but Dystopians (anti- or negative Utopias, which are just the cynical perspective on the same society). :P

Okay, so that's kind of a tease, since Dystopias tend to be a subgenre of sci-fi, but I just couldn't help it when you have the two most prominent "classic" dystopias in the genre as the first two questions. :D

3: I think sci-fi's influence on the world today is, at best, an indirect one. The most popular or best-selling sci-fi out there right now is either from well-established series like Star Wars, Star Trek, Microsoft's Halo, etc., or the rising space opera subgenre. (Basic paraphrase of the afterword--I think it's the afterword--of Hollow World, a market-trend-breaking sci-fi.) Star Wars (which is arguably the hybrid science fantasy genre) has an upcoming episode due out next year, Star Trek has been a little quiet (although they are working on ST3), Halo 5's been generating a ton of buzz, and Doctor Who has just launched a new season.
But all of these are more entertainment-driven than actually trying to influence society, something the genre once did. The Space Age sci-fi, H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds turned radio horror, Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles, these had an influence on, or sought to influence, society.
I can't say I've seen so much of that with today's sci-fi. What the future of the genre's influence is will depend entirely upon the quality of the authors in that genre, and whether or not they seek to effect social changes through their writing.

Basically, didacticism in writing, writing that teaches, has been frowned upon, mocked, shunned, or overall repulsed, whether antagonistically or simply because "the market won't support it." In order for sci-fi to have a greater intellectual influence on society, there has to either be a shift from entertainment-only or -driven to didactic, or there must be an increase in the didactic. Entertaining fiction isn't wrong, but if that's the only purpose it can accomplish, it's only positive influence on society will be recreational and economical.
D.F.P., Knight Dragon
  








I want to understand you, I study your obscure language.
— Alexander Pushkin